The present invention relates to an apparatus used to infuse a part with resin and, more particularly to an automated controlled atmospheric pressurized resin infusion apparatus.
Resin infusion processes are traditionally performed by one or more workers who manually carry out steps of the process. Manual performance of infusion operations is very time consuming and prone to error. For example, when workers need to ensure that a bag does not have leaks, they must create a vacuum in the bag, wait for the in-bag vacuum to reach a steady level and monitor the pressure in the bag during the entire leak check.
Worker errors include skipping needed steps in the infusion process, performing steps out of order and performing steps inconsistently or improperly. For example, although a first bag must be checked for leaks before a second bag is checked for leaks according to process specifications, a worker may check the second bag for leaks first, which may result in inaccurate bag checks. Skipping steps may result in a bad part, wasted manufacturing and part materials and lost worker time.
Even when the worker performs the infusion process steps in order, the steps can be improperly performed. For example, the worker may prematurely stop the resin from infusing through the part, thinking the part was fully infused and cure an incomplete part. As another example, a worker may perform a compacting step in an inconsistent manner from one infusion to the next, resulting in inconsistent parts. Parts often need to be discarded for having improper dimensions resulting from improper resin infusion.